30 November 2016

2016 NFL Predictions: Week 13

(AP)

Here we are, the final month of the 2016 NFL season. The playoff push is fully underway and fortunately, we have a number of critical contests this week across the country. Who will win and who will not this week? Here are my picks for Week 13.Last Week: 13-32016: 109-68Locks: 9-3

This Thursday night game shouldn't be terrible not only because of the strong matchup but also because both teams will have a full week off as both played on Thanksgiving. Dallas has been playing some great football of late but I'm feeling the upset here. The Vikings are still quite good defensively and I think that will make the difference.Vikings 19 Cowboys 14

Time is running out for the Packers but they got a win they desperately needed on Monday night in Philadelphia thanks to a tremendous performance from their defensive line as well as a quality performance from Aaron Rodgers. They still have some pretty clear flaws but they should have their confidence back. Houston is lucky that their division is a joke because their offense is just so bad. Give me Green Bay at Lambeau.Packers 20 Texans 12

Kansas City won a wild and rather bizarre contest on Sunday night in Denver, a game that took almost all of overtime to do so. It was a key win in a tough divisional race but here on the road against a strong Atlanta offense, I'm not that confident that we will see another road victory here.Falcons 28 Chiefs 24

The only minutes that matter for the Lions are the last, say, five minutes of any game because that is when they come alive and crank out close wins. They have won a lot of games on the tightrope but I'm not so certain that that will happen here in the Big Easy. I don't think they have that much of a suitable way to shut down the prolific New Orleans offense.Saints 31 Lions 27

Considering that Jeff Fisher is currently getting into a tiff with Rams legend Eric Dickerson, seems safe to say that he will not be long for Los Angeles. And let's not forget that the Rams have now lost six out of his last seven and now they have to go cross-country to take on the Patriots in Foxborough? Good luck. New England is my Lock of the Week.Patriots 35 Rams 13

Remember when I thought that the Jaguars were going to be good this year? One cannot stress enough how bad of a coach Gus Bradley is and how bad of a job he has done and particularly so this year. They will get to host an angry Denver club that lost a mess of a game at home in overtime to the Chiefs. Denver will take this one convincingly.Broncos 27 Jaguars 9

This game is a tough one to pick because both teams are sliding and while one is out of the playoff picture in Cincinnati, the other is fast falling out of it in the Eagles as they have lost six out of their last eight games. I think you'll see the Bengals get a nice win here behind what I think could be a solid performance out of Andy Dalton and their offense.Bengals 17 Eagles 14

Somehow, someway, the Dolphins continue to win as they have now won six straight contests in a row. Ryan Tannehill has been putting in good work under center, Jay Ajayi has been good running the football and this offense has done just enough to get the job done. But that will end here going against one of the finer defenses in the league in that of the Ravens.Ravens 13 Dolphins 10

What a horrific football matchup, unless you're a fan of games determining draft positioning. Neither team has won in a while, albeit Chicago much more recently than San Francisco but they both have been relatively competitive in recent weeks. But I do like what the 49ers have been doing of late and I think that Colin Kaepernick has played well under Chip Kelly and I think that they'll break the losing streak here.49ers 20 Bears 17

Derek Carr did it again in rallying the Raiders late against the Panthers despite suffering not one but two dislocated fingers earlier in the game. This team is rocking and rolling right now and now they get to return home to the Black Hole. Buffalo has shown some more life after their bye as they have won two games in a row but as they travel out west, that winning streak will come to a conclusion here.Raiders 31 Bills 21

New York has been playing well of late and is in fine position for the postseason but I think they are in line for a loss here. The Pittsburgh offense came alive in a big way in the Thanksgiving nightcap and I think that performance could give them the momentum they'll need to pull it out in the AFC North. Give me the Steelers here.Steelers 30 Giants 27

Arizona will have the defensive edge as well as the homefield advantage in this ballgame and they are certainly in must-win territory if they want any chance of the playoffs. But frankly after how they have looked in their last few games, I think they're essentially dead. Washington has not been that great on the road this season but I'll pick them here.Washington 24 Cardinals 20

A fun quarterback matchup of Jameis Winston and Philip Rivers awaits us in San Diego and could mean a lot of points between these one playoff contender and one fringe playoff contender. Tampa Bay has cranked out three wins in a row to get right into the Wild Card hunt but I like San Diego here. Their defense is a little better and I think Rivers can do just enough to get the win.Chargers 35 Buccaneers 31

The are in games but the Panthers continue to blow games in the second half and in the fourth quarter and thus their playoff dreams are all but dead. And in my opinion, expecting them to go to Seattle and take out the Seahawks on the road, especially after said Seahawks had a pretty disappointing loss in Tampa last Sunday.Seahawks 26 Panthers 18

Indianapolis' defense is so bad, they might actually be able to make Ryan Fitzpatrick look good. In defense of Fitzpatrick and of the Jets, they did show some life and came close to upsetting the Patriots this past week in the Meadowlands and yet to still lose that game had to have been deflating. They won't have an answer for Andrew Luck and therefore, they will lose again.Colts 28 Jets 20

5 comments:

I guess you posted your Cowboys- Vikings pick b4 the breaking news that the Vikings head coach will be having emergency eye surgery, and may not be available for the game tonight. I think that will be a major distraction for the Vikings players and coaches. Cowboys 26 Vikings 21

Buffalo will beat Oakland...the Raiders have been over-hyped most of the season and are an average football team squeaking by bad teams with an awful defense. Their luck runs out this weekend. Miami will win at Baltimore IF their o-line, which has been in shambles the past few weeks (like it was early in season) is healthy in time. They have been fortunate with the timing of playing LA and SF during the injury bug. If Pouncy, Albert, and Tunsil are healthy, Miami is the better team, even with a weaker defense. Also I think the Jets should take care of Indy- so many have lost sight of the Colts being a bad football team even when Luck plays: too many mindsets overreacting still to the win at Lambeau over a packer team that some still refuse to acknowledge is living on borrowed time.